Branched aliphatic primary alcohols, especially those having long carbon chains, have found use in many applications such as surfactants, solvents, wetting agents, solubilizing agents, emulsifiers, or as an intermediates for making derivatives such as esters and ethers that can be used as surfactants, solvents, wetting agents, solubilizing agents, emulsifiers, and lubricant base stocks or additives.
A specific type of branched aliphatic alcohols are Guerbet alcohols, which are beta-branched primary alcohols having the following general structure:
where Ra and Rb can be any hydrocarbyl group, preferably alkyl groups such as linear alkyl groups. Guerbet alcohol derivatives, such as esters, have found many use such as lubricant base stocks. Guerbet alcohols can be produced by Guerbet reaction, in which two primary alcohol molecules condense to produce a beta-branched primary alcohol molecule and water.
A neo-alcohol having general structure
where Ra, Rb, and Rc are independently hydrocarbyl groups, can have similar properties and uses of a Guerbet alcohol with similar molecular structure. Derivatives of neo-alcohols can find similar use to those of similar derivatives of Guerbet alcohols. Neo-alcohols and their derivatives can be particularly useful because of the presence of the quaternary carbon on the beta-location. Neo-alcohols comprising one or more long carbon chains having at least 6 carbons can be particularly interesting. Neo-alcohols cannot be made by Guerbet reaction.
Thus, there is a need for neo-alcohol products and a process for making such neo-alcohol products.
This disclosure satisfies this and other needs.